Many women will have ovarian cysts, and they’re usually just a few centimeters long. Christina Rees had two that were the size of cantaloupes. As a girl, Rees was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, a chronic endocrine disorder where multiple cysts form on the ovaries. Symptoms of PCOS include weight gain, acne, excess hair growth…

By Marlee Ellison Nestled in a dim office in the Bond Life Sciences Center is a small tank of carnivorous plants–plants that consume insects. Heidi Appel tends to pitcher plants, “sticky traps” and Venus flytraps, their colors vibrant against damp soil. The fluorescent-green Venus flytraps lie in wait for an insect meal, stems extended and jaws…

By Marlee Ellison Healthcare providers need to know that gender isn’t a male-female binary . However, many providers aren’t aware of the unique needs of transgender patients. According to Lambda Legal’s Health Care Fairness Survey, 65.2 percent of transgender or gender nonconforming people felt that a medical care provider was unaware of their health needs. 26.7…

By Marlee Ellison Farmers tend to plant annual “monocultures,” or large areas that grow only one crop. That’s why there are so many expansive soybean fields in Missouri and corn fields in Colorado. Wes Jackson, president of the Kansas-based Land Institute, might have a better idea: “perennial polycultures.” Perennial polycultures involve the cultivation of more than one perennial species…

By Marlee Ellison Is nuclear energy secretly sinister? It depends on whom you talk to. When one lauded expert provides scientific research to support nuclear energy, another fiercely refutes it. A panel of national experts addressed the promises and perils of nuclear energy at MU on Thursday night. The discussion followed a public viewing of…

Marlee Ellison is a junior at the University of Missouri in Columbia studying arts and culture magazine journalism. She is a current music blogger at Vox Magazine and a former reporter for the Columbia Missourian. She’s specifically interested in nutrition and food science in relation to income inequality and America’s obesity crisis. She wonders what…